Is car audio/DIY dying?

H

HiFiAudioGuy34

Noob
It seems that with newer cars being more integrated with more technology and better (for the average person) components does it seem like car audio is slowly dying?

a lot of car audio shops have been closing in my state and Best Buy has been shrinking its car audio area in all of my local stores.

With the factory H/U and integration of technology with factory systems it seems like the majority of people only replace components once they fail and it costs an arm&leg to replace it.

Overall it seems like the entire consumer industry (not only car audio) is going from user DIY/Fix to manufacturer OEM service with specific tools (apple's proprietary pentalobe screws) and oddly shaped OEM H/U's making it harder to upgrade.

With automation and autonomous driving cars just on the horizon, do you think the future of car audio will be dead?

Thinking in terms of a future where you don't even own a car. Just Uber a Tesla and use bluetooth headphones for music and go about your day?

Sure there will be a smaller part of the population still driving their old cars but eventually they will be phased out (designed obsolescence).

What do you guys think?
 
Car audio as the typical forum goer knows it is dying. But the car audio market is fine, but changing. Basic systems are being phased out due to complex oem systems and the need for more advanced integration. This is causing an upswing in the dsp and integration market. The unfortunate truth for diy guys is they cant just learn this stuff on the weekend, so to some it may seem to be dying.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
BigAl205 said:
I hope not...or else I picked the wrong time to start a car audio forum

:O
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LOL yeah but hey, better late than never.

I think the future for any DIY enthusiast will be a very narrow or niche subject. Too many youngsters are not extremely technical when it comes to fixing/doing anything.

With companies "going green" recycling/trade-in rather than repair and just throw-it-away and buy a new one since its so "cheap" the market is shifting.

I was raised with DIY in mind to save money and to learn how to do things myself. I also work on my own car mechanically (to the best of my ability). But with helping friends and family with newer cars I just don't have the "expertise" or specific tools to do so and making a mistake can be EXTREMELY time consuming and costly.

I've been learning about computers recently (laptops to be more specific) and they are starting to manufacture them with non-replaceable parts (soldered on). If something fails you have to take it to the manufacturer to fix or replace the laptop itself. Even smartphones have shifted from removable back covers and batteries to glued on glass and metal and they glue the batteries into the phone as well.

On YouTube there are popular DIY channels that point out these things but the manufacturers seemingly just keep designing pieces of metal and glass that cannot be dismantled easily.
 
I attend informal get togethers of car audio types a few times a month and from what I see there are a lot of younger guys out there who are interested in learning and doing. Most own cars that are a few years old which are easier to modify/work on but there are a couple of fellows with 2019 vehicles. IMO the interest is there and all it takes is opportunity.
 
Donanon said:
I attend informal get togethers of car audio types a few times a month and from what I see there are a lot of younger guys out there who are interested in learning and doing. Most own cars that are a few years old which are easier to modify/work on but there are a couple of fellows with 2019 vehicles. IMO the interest is there and all it takes is opportunity.
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Thats really cool to see younger people into the car audio world. They definitely have a uphill battle when it comes to learning about DIY installation (which IMO the harder it is, the more likely they are to be discouraged and give up) especially when younger people want instant gratification and things to be either easy or just done for them.
 
I don't think car audio is dying. There are still car audio shops everywhere I go. Contrast that to home audio stores. There used to be a lot back in the day. Now there are none or almost none. Also, look at all the newer car audio companies that have started in the past 10 years. Times are changing though. OEM systems have gotten pretty decent nowadays where that wasn't the case 30 years ago. And car audio on the average is much cheaper and better than in days past. You used to have to pay top dollar for good/reliable equipment before. I can buy a decent system now for what a great amp cost 30 yrs ago. Cars have gotten smaller. The avg car can't accomodate the awesome AB amps and equipment from decades ago unless you're doing a higher end install with modifications etc. But no, I don't see car audio dying.
 
The interest is still there. The knowledge can be a little tougher to find, but like Skiz said, most of that is due to quickly changing conditions in the market. Between CarAudioFabrication, EXOContralto, SteveMeade, 5star and several others, Youtube has been a massive tool to help the hobby survive and even thrive again. Each of those youtubers are between 350,000-500,000 subscribers, and essentially do nothing but installation and review videos - not too shabby for a "niche" hobby.

I honestly feel like there is a whole new wave of car audio fans, like me (even though I'm 37), just looking for reliable and digestible information, as well as, a fun, supportive place like these forums to ask "dumb" questions. This place has also opened my eyes to how wide of a range of people love the hobby. You will meet a little bit of everything in the car audio world. Lol.

I think another positive sign for the industry is how many successful companies are out there, exclusively selling car audio upgrades. More speakers, amplifiers, sound deadening, DSP's etc. than ever before. It seems to me that the entire industry is beginning to gel once again.

Just my two cents though.
 
I see a huge upside. Back when I was a kid all I had to go on was the Crutchfield catalog and the instructions they included. The shops were not going to show you how to do it, and you had no way to really compare what they were selling or tell if they were BS'ing you. No way to get my hands on the tools needed.

Today I can just google it and get a YouTube video.
 
I definitely think the car audio world is changing, but not really "going away". Instead of changing head-units like you used to do in older cars, now you just need to integrate with the OEM head-unit (since most aren't easily replaceable). So I think the whole "replace your headunit" way of doing things *is* going away - but the whole integration and/or DSP/amp installation field is getting bigger - especially the DSP field. DSP is a game-changer - and products like AmpPro are helping with the integration side of things.

However, I also see that younger folks aren't as interested - in cars or car audio. :-) They seem to be much less eager to get a drivers license and a car of their own. Maybe they will just start getting into car audio later in life (I'm 47 and just getting into it somewhat seriously).

But gone are the days of just buying a new headunit and being done with it....
 
I recall SoundManCA on YouTube a few years ago (channel has changed since then) They installed a 5-channel along with speakers and subwoofer. They turned everything on and the music was loud and clear. Then..... the sub would all of the sudden decrease output by 80-90%. The install was in a newer Caddy Escalade (maybe 2015?). They tried troubleshooting the amp, the audio signal, even the subwoofer. But every time they turned the system on it played as expected for only a few seconds then the sub would decrease instantly with no idea what was causing it. They used all the recommended aftermarket parts and tools to do the install but they were stumped (They were PROFESSIONAL installers with A LOT of experience).

Turns out....the Caddy has a microphone to detect road noise/loud noises and turns down the volume of the stereo for some reason. They had to reach out to other installers on a forum to figure this out and all they had to do was disconnect that microphone.

For your average DIY person/weekend warrior project guy I would be pissed and probably not even go through the time consumption and trouble to do all of this for an install IMHO. (I've been a hobbyist for about 16 years). I don't want to buy a headache/moneypit new(er) car.

I love older cars for their ability to integrate aftermarket systems easily and cheaply without any major issues (not to mention DIY regular maintenance). But EVENTUALLY they'll be phased out due to age and availability of parts. And once that time comes I'm not going to touch much of anything in my newer car. MAYBE sound deadener and new speakers. But HU amp and subs are probably not going to be in my plans in the future for any newer car. But then again as I mentioned in the OP, Maybe we won't "own" cars in the future. Its a "Gig-economy" and "sharing-economy" so Just Uber a Tesla for transit and go to a Air-BnB everyday to sleep/live.

Some reason I feel there are these 2 trajectories coming to a crossroads where their paths intersect and no one would care about car audio because they'll have their Apple AirPods Pro generation 8 with WIFI 20 and 12G ultra LTE installed in their ears.
 
jtrosky said:
I definitely think the car audio world is changing, but not really "going away". Instead of changing head-units like you used to do in older cars, now you just need to integrate with the OEM head-unit (since most aren't easily replaceable). So I think the whole "replace your headunit" way of doing things *is* going away - but the whole integration and/or DSP/amp installation field is getting bigger - especially the DSP field. DSP is a game-changer - and products like AmpPro are helping with the integration side of things.

However, I also see that younger folks aren't as interested - in cars or car audio. :-) They seem to be much less eager to get a drivers license and a car of their own. Maybe they will just start getting into car audio later in life (I'm 47 and just getting into it somewhat seriously).

But gone are the days of just buying a new headunit and being done with it....
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The biggest difference is you had to buy a aftermarket head unit before. Now you don't unless you want to get serious. I definitely wanted a amp with the alpine HU and speakers I bought back then. Those old 2 way passive systems with PPI amps sounded pretty damn good without T/A, equalization, DSP etc. You can just do much more now. Most of the young guys I knew back then didn't have anything like that but they worshipped us that did. Because power is so much cheaper than before, plus the fact that most young people listen to rap now I think car audio is just as popular as it used to be a long time ago....just different
 
I've worked in the car audio industry for more than 20 years. In the area I live, things have definitely slowed down. There were 4 shops and a Best Buy, now there are 2 shops. When I started, there were more people buying radios, speakers, amps, subs, having boxes built, etc. I still do a fair amount of radio, speakers, and amp installs, but now I might build 2 boxes a year. There are still people that want to replace the radio in their car, but don't when they learn that the installation kit and harness cost more than the radio and nobody in this area has ever asked for a DSP (other than a couple of guys on Harleys that wanted a DSR-1 to flatten the factory EQ curve, I have a program on a laptop to do that though). Working on motorcycles and UTVs has increased over the past year, as have remote starts. I know that there are many cars that have factory remote starts, but customers complain that they lack range and that they don't function when the check engine light is on.

I see several car audio shops closing in the future. I've talked to several manufacturer reps about it and they agree. They say one of the biggest problems is that experienced installers are leaving shops and the shops are unable to find people to replace them.
 
HiFiAudioGuy34 said:
they'll have their Apple AirPods Pro generation 8 with WIFI 20 and 12G ultra LTE installed in their ears.
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The amount of people I see on a daily basis, walking around, driving etc. with Apple AirPods in is somewhat comical to me. It's the strangest thing, before AirPods existed there was never this many people walking around with ear buds/headphones of any type, yet now everyone is listening to music that they keep them in constantly. It's this weird status symbol that is reflective of society as a whole, gotta show that we have AirPods or we won't be viewed as cool. Saw an older couple a few weeks ago, mid 50's maybe, so not old old, but older, both walking around wearing AirPods, not walking around a park or something for exercise, but walking into stores. Are those people really so un-interested in each other that they would sooner be listening to music than talking to each other? Are we supposed to believe that they would have walked around with any other pair of earbuds together listening to music before AirPods were an option? Apple really nailed marketing.


Back to car audio, most has been said already, head units are getting harder or impossible to replace and have been for a few years. There are still 2 shops fairly local to me, I am not sure how much business they do, but seems to be enough to at least keep the doors open. I don't see it dying, there are always going to be a number of people out there who are not happy with OEM systems and will want to improve them, the number may shrink some, but I don't see it disappearing.
 
Euphonic said:
I see several car audio shops closing in the future. I've talked to several manufacturer reps about it and they agree. They say one of the biggest problems is that experienced installers are leaving shops and the shops are unable to find people to replace them.
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Exactly my point. Humans understand supply and demand as well as their own livelihood. They won't stay or go into a field that doesn't supply them a their standard of living. Less are coming in and there are ones that are continuing to leave.

I experienced the same thing when I worked in Car audio retail as well (back in 2005-2008) with the costs getting too high for the average person that wants to upgrade HU's and install subs. Its getting much more difficult to do so on the average budget and with the average equipment they've become accustomed to. Now the costs have gotten higher and integration more difficult. The install bay WAS opened 7-days a week with 4 full time installers. Now its 3-4 days a week with 2 installers (which kills sales as well for people that want it "installed today").

Like naiku said people are using/wearing BT headphones more than ever ($25-$500) and that is a quick and easy solution to their audio dilemma. Plus its portable and requires no installation and can be easily interchanged/upgraded on a regular basis (and he said they were OLDER) just think with the younger generation glued to their phones in a semi- virtual/augmented reality and "Safe-spaces" they can just drown out the world with earbuds. They don't want friction or conflict, what better than to choose your own playlist anywhere, anytime bus, train, plane, uber etc.
 
Like many have said, I dont think its dying as much as it is changing. I guess you could say car audio as many of us know it, is dying. The question is, can the industry save itself. I agree, seemless quality integration with OEM systems is going to be key.

As was stated, just look at the younger generation with the headphones and ear buds. Part of this is just generational interests but also music today is crap. There may be some good lyrics and catchy beats but in the end the recording industry is turning out the same stuff over and over. They have compressed the life out of most every new album and sampled beats from older songs. Why bother to get a better system if you only listen to crap. I guess we should try to be ironic and install record players and tube amps in our cars.

In all seriousness though, the vast majority of people don't seem to care. It only seems to be the few like those of us on this forum that really care about getting more. I'd be willing to bet we are already less than 1% of the motoring population. I hate to admit, I too am not as big into it as I used to be. My 4runner can still take an aftermarket head unit relatively easy but I'm not willing to do so. I'm also not willing to spend the money I would have 20 years ago.
 
Smitty said:
I hate to admit, I too am not as big into it as I used to be. My 4runner can still take an aftermarket head unit relatively easy but I'm not willing to do so. I'm also not willing to spend the money I would have 20 years ago.
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I'd be lying if I did not think the same thing, I am looking to get into a newer car next year, everything I am looking at won't take an aftermarket head unit (my current car is from 2006, standard double DIN opening, not integrated to anything other than the steering wheel controls!). Currently I rarely drive anywhere, most competitions are on a Sunday so that rules them out for me due to work schedules, so I sort of wonder if I sold all my equipment off, could I pick up some more photography/drone equipment and use that instead.

Of course, then I drive to the grocery store blasting some music and think there is no way I can go back to a crappy OEM system.
 
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